Collapsible container

Abstract

A collapsible container having substantially planar front and rear walls and interconnecting side walls that define inwardly extending V-shaped panels. A plurality of transversely extending stiffening grooves are provided in the front and rear panels to minimize outward bulging of the front and rear panels when the bottle is filled with a liquid material. A plurality of bridging members is formed in the side panels to bridge the adjacent side panels at a longitudinal fold line to minimize outward bulging of the side wall when the container is filled with liquid. To collapse the container the front and rear panels are urged together, and the side panels move inwardly about the longitudinal hinge line so that the bottle assumes a flat condition. The flattened bottle occupies considerably less space in waste disposal facilities.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A collapsible container comprising a body having a bottle longitudinal axis and including spaced, opposed front and rear walls, a pair of spaced, opposed side walls connected with and extending between the front and rear walls, a bottom wall extending transversely of the bottle longitudinal axis and defining a base, the bottom wall connected with and extending between each of the opposed front and rear walls and the opposed side walls, and a dispensing opening spaced along the bottle longitudinal axis from the bottom wall, wherein the side walls are each defined by a pair of side panels that are connected together along a longitudinally extending hinge line, each side panel disposed at an acute angle with the respective connected front or rear wall and disposed at an obtuse included angle with the respective connected side panel, wherein said sidewalls extend inwardly and are each substantially V-shaped in transverse cross section, each side wall including a plurality of bridging members extending between and connected with each of the respective side panels of said side wall, the bridging members spaced from each other along the longitudinally extending hinge line to limit pivotal movement of the side panels relative to each other about the longitudinally extending hinge line when the bottle contains a fluid material. 
     
     
       2. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 1, wherein the side panels are substantially planar. 
     
     
       3. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 1, wherein the front and rear panels are substantially planar. 
     
     
       4. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 1 wherein the bridging members include gussets extending across the longitudinal hinge line of said side wall and wherein the gussets are connected with the hinge line and with adjacent surfaces of the respective side panels. 
     
     
       5. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 1, wherein the longitudinal spacing between successive bridging members is about 13.5 mm. 
     
     
       6. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 1, wherein at least one of the front and rear panels includes transversely extending stiffening grooves formed in the outer surface thereof to minimize outward deflection of the panel. 
     
     
       7. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 6, wherein the longitudinal spacing between adjacent stiffening grooves is about 13.5 mm. 
     
     
       8. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 6, wherein the stiffening grooves are substantially parallel. 
     
     
       9. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 6, wherein the stiffening grooves are defined by inwardly extending projections integrally formed in the respective front and rear walls. 
     
     
       10. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 1, including grooves formed in outwardly facing surfaces of each of the respective front and rear walls. 
     
     
       11. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 6, wherein the number of bridging members is equal to the number of stiffening grooves. 
     
     
       12. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 1, wherein the dispensing opening is defined by a plurality of interconnected linear surfaces, at least two of which interconnected surfaces define a V-shaped pouring surface. 
     
     
       13. A collapsible container in accordance with claim 1, wherein the container includes a mold parting line that defines a plane that extends diagonally relative to a transverse cross section of the container.